@Reuters: FLASH: U.S. jobless claims fall to 335,000 in latest week from 372,000 in prior week

Jobless claims drop to five-year low

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits tumbled to a five-year low last week, a hopeful sign for the sluggish labor market.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 335,000, the lowest level since January 2008, the Labor Department said on Thursday. It was the largest weekly drop since February 2010.

The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 1,000 more applications than previously reported.

While last week's decline ended four straight weeks of increases, it is probably not the start of a new trend or a sign of a material shift in labor market conditions as claims tend to be very volatile around this time of the year.